Spring cushion construction



Jan. 13, 1942. .o. PARKER SPRING CUSHION CONSTRUCTION Filed April '27,1938 INVENTOR. T|$ PAR KER ATTORNEYi Patented Jan. 13, 1942 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE SPRING CUSHION CONSTRUCTION Otis Parker, Detroit,Mich, assignor to The Murray Corporation of America, Detroit, Mich., a

corporation of Delaware Application April 27, 1938, Serial No, 204,639

7 Claims. (Cl. 155-179) to each other in a curved plane defining theload:

surface and secured at their ends to a frame.

One of the primary objects of the present invention is to provide animproved mounting means for a coil spring whereby the load, appliedunder normal use, is applied along substantially? the longitudinalcenter line of the spring so that the coil spring is depressed withoutmaterially tilting the spring about its center line.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved anchoringmeans for a coil spring.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved and simplifiedspring seat construction whereby the applied load is more properlydistributed over the entire seat construction.

Other objects of the invention will become ap-.

parent from the following specification, the drawing relating thereto,and from the claims hereinafter set forth.

In the drawing, in which like numerals are used to designate like partsin the several views throughout:

Figure l is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line IIof Fig. 2, showing a seat construction embodying features of the presentinvention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, elevational view of the structure illustratedin Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged perspective view of certain details ofthe structure illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

The present invention is illustrated as being applied to a seat backconstruction; and while the invention is particularly adapted to such astructure, it will be evident from the following description that thepresent invention has utility in other spring structures.

Referring to the drawing, a seat back construction is illustrated whichcomprises a generally rectangular base frame member ID which mayconveniently be formed of a section of wire or similar material. Thebase frame has opposite end portions 1 I and oppositely disposed sideportions I2 and M; The side portions l2 and It set V-shaped supportingportions It at equal spaces therealong.

A helical coil spring I8 is disposed on and attached to each of thesupporting portions l6 by means of an anchoring member, generallyindicated at 20 in Fig. 3. The anchoring member 20 is preferably formedof a strip of wire which is bent atsubstantially its center to form ahook 22.

The hook 22 passes under the base of the V-,

shaped supporting portion l6 and is then bent upwardly and downwardly toprovide another hook portion 24 which is disposed over the lowerconvolution of the spring I8 at diametrically opposed points on thelower convolution. The free ends of the legs are then hooked under thelower convolution of the spring I8, as indicated at 26, so that thespring I8 is securely anchored to the supporting portion l6 of the backframe Ill.

The opposite ends of the coil springs l8 serve to support a cushion,generally designated at 2B;

, and are anchored to the cushion 28, according to the presentinvention, in a manner to -be described in detail hereinafter. Thecushion frame construction 28 is generally of the character andconstruction as disclosed and claimed in the copending application ofClarence H. Menge, Serial No. 139,765, filed April 29, 1937 now maturedinto Patent No. 2,175,062. The cushion frame 28 has the end edgesthereof formed of sections of wire 30 and has the opposite side edgesthereof formed of border channel elements 32 and 34. The end element 30may conveniently be crimped into the channels in the members 32 and 34,as indicated at 36, and is preferably spaced slightly inwardly i fromthe ends of the members 32 and 34.

The surface of the cushion 2B is composed of a plurality of arcuatelydisposed, continuously bent spring elements 38 of the general typedisclosed in the Kaden Patent No. 2,000,399. As disclosed in thispatent, the spring elements 38 are preferably formed of wire benttoprovide a series of similar adjacent lateral convolutions all lying insubstantially the same arcuate surface. After the spring wire has beenbent to the predetermined desired form, the-spring elements arenormalized in order that they will have an inherent tendency to liealong arcs of substantially smaller radius than the arcs upon which theyare disposed when utilized in the construction of a seat cushion.

These spring elements 38 are cut to suitable desired lengths and aresevered at such a point that they provide a last lateral convolutionextending substantially transversely of the length are formed withoppositely disposed, inwardly offof the spring elements, which lastlateral convolution is utilized to anchor the ends of the springelements in position in the border frame elements 32 and. 34.

As disclosed in the Menge application above referred to, the borderframe elements 32 and l 34 are preferably formed of sheet metal ofrolled sections which may conveniently be formed in continuous lengths.These border frame elements are generally of channel section with thewalls of the channels crimped together at spaced points 39 therealong,thus providing channels which are adapted to receive and anchor the lastlateral convolutions of the spring element 38 in position within thechannel.

Since the spring elements making up the surface structure of the cushionconstruction are all tensioned to lie along arcs of substantiallysmaller radius than that on which they are disposed when mounted in thecushion construction, there is an inherent tendency to draw the borderframe elements 32 and 34 together. Consequently, in order to brace thesurface frame against this support, it has been found necessary anddesirable to provide suitable transverse frame elements 43. The elements40 are preferably channel shaped with their ends 42 bent over the borderframe elements 32 and 34. The bent over portions 42 may be welded, orotherwise suitably secured, to the border frame elements 32 and 34. Theframe elements 40 are preferably arcuately disposed on an arc directedaway from the arc of the elements 38 in order not to interfere with thefunction of the arcuately disposed sinuous spring element 38.

According to the present invention, in order to connect the spiralspring elements 18 to the cushion 28, the end convolutions 44 of thesprings iii are directed radially inwardly, as indicated at 46, and thenupwardly at substantially the center of the spring, as indicated at 48.The free end 50 of the spring is again directed radially of the lastconvolution 44 in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of theportion 46. The portion 50 is adapted to be received within the channelformed in the bracing member 40 which is crimped together as indicatedat 52 sothat the end 50 of the spring 18 is securely anchored therein.The point at which the end 53 of the spring I8 is crimped to the brace40 is at substantially the center of the spiral spring I8. Thus, undernormal use, the force applied to the spring I8 is directed in a straightline along the longitudinal center line of the spring, so that there isno tendency for the spring Is to be tilted as a load is applied thereto.The force is applied to the springs along a straight line which issubstantially coincident with the longitudinal center lines of thesprings so that the load is properly applied and distributed to thespring construction.

There is no interference between the connections for the spring elementsI8 and the cushion 28 in the present structure, so that the springsurface formed by the element 38 is in no way interfered with by theremaining elements of the structure, thereby retaining the soft springcharacteristics of this surface.

Formal changes may be made in the specific embodiment of the inventiondescribed without departing from the spirit and substance of theinvention, the scope of which is commensurate with the appended claims.

Wh'atis claimed is: g

1. A spring cushion construction comprising a base frame, a border framedisposed in spaced relation to said base frame, spring elementsconnected to said border frame forming a spring load supporting surface,coil springs having an end extending on the diameters of the coilsthereof and disposed between said base frame and said border frame,means connecting said coil springs to the base frame, and meansconnecting said end of the coil springs to the border frame, so that theload applied thereto is directed along substantially straight lineswhich are substantially coincident with the longitudinal center lines ofthe respective spiral springs.

2. A spring cushion construction comprising a base frame having a wirewith a laterally extending portion, a border frame disposed in spacedrelation to said base frame, spring elements connected to said borderframe forming a spring load supporting surface, coil springs having anend extending on the diameters of the coils thereof and disposed betweensaid base frame and said border frame, means connecting said coilsprings solely to the laterally extending portion of said wire, andmeans connecting said ends of the coil springs to the border frame.

3. A spring cushion construction comprising a base frame, a border framedisposed in spaced relation to said base frame, spring elementsconnected 'to said border frame forming a spring load supportingsurface, transversely extending brace members connected to said borderframe and disposed in spaced relation to said spring elements, spiralsprings interposed between said base frame and said border frame, meansconnecting said spiral springs to said base frame, and means connectingsaid spiral springs to said brace members, said last named meansincludin a radially directed portion on each of said spiral springswhich is attached to one of said brace members at substantially thecenter of said spiral spring.

4. A spring cushion construction comprising a base frame, a border framedisposed in spaced relation to said base frame, spring elementsconnected to said border frame forming a spring load supporting surface,transversely extending brace members of generally channel shapeconnected to said border frame and disposed in spaced relation to saidspring elements, spiral springs interposed between said base frame andsaid border frame, means connecting said spiral springs to said baseframe, and means connecting said spiral springs to said brace members,said last named means including radially directed spring end portions oneach of said spiral springs, said end portions of each spring beingreceived within the channel shaped brace members and crimped therein atsubstantially the center of each of said spiral springs so that the loadapplied thereto is directed along a substantially straight line which issubstantially coincident with the longitudinal center line of the spiralspring.

5. In a spring cushion construction, a supporting frame having an offsetcurved supporting portion, a spiral spring supported on said offsetportion, and means for anchoring said spiral spring to said curvedportion, said last named means including a wire member which is bentintermediate its ends to form a hook, said hook being hooked under thebase of said curved portion and then being bent to hook over the lastconvolution of said spiral spring adjacent-said base, the free ends ofsaid wire member being then diverged outwardly and hooked under thecurved portion and then passed upwardly and over the last convolution ofthe spring and hooked thereto at substantially diametrically opposedpoints.

6. A spring cushion construction comprising a generally rectangular baseframe, the opposite sides of said base frame being shaped withoppositely disposed, inwardly directed offset spring supportingportions, a border frame disposed in spaced relation to said base frame,spring elements connected to said border frame forming a spring loadsupporting surface, spiral springs disposed between said base frame andsaid border frame, means connecting said spiral springs to the offsetsupporting portions of said base frame, and means connecting the spiralsprings to the border frame, said last named connecting means engagingthe spiral springs at substantially their respective centers so that theload applied thereto is directly along substantially straight lineswhich are substantially coincident with the longitudinal center lines ofthe respective spiral springs.

7. In a spring cushion construction, a supporting frame having a wirewith a generally V- shaped offset supporting portion, another framedisposed in spaced relation to said first named frame, a spiral springdisposed between said frames, anchoring means securely anchoring one endof said spiral spring solely to said V-shaped portion of said wire, andmeans connecting the opposite end of said spiral spring to said secondnamed frame, said last named connecting -means including a radiallydirected spring end portion on said spiral spring and a member connectedto said second named frame engaging said spring end portion atsubstantially the center of said spiral spring so that the load appliedthereto is directed along a substantially straight line which issubstantially coincident with the longitudinal center line of the spiralspring.

OTIS PARKER.

